Overnight, people who never imagined they`d be homeless were staring it in the face. The city’s most vulnerable people were suddenly even more so. Agencies were evacuated or displaced, and in some cases required rebuilding.
Possessions and old ideas were swept away; leaving us with stories of compassion and courage.
Stories from the flood is a theme TMC artist-mentors and participants have reflected on and developed over the past months. You will witness that exploration running like a river through Festival 2014.

All programs are free of charge unless otherwise noted on an event page.

Join us in celebration as we launch our third annual festival! Our opening show features original and popular music performed in spirited collaboration by artists from the homeless community working in concert with musical mentors from the broader Calgary community.

See a vibrant selection of artwork created at TMC workshops over the last year. The collection features a large colourful ‘yarn painting’ made collaboratively at the Drop-In Centre (the DI) over the last few months under the guidance of artist-mentor Margot van Lindenberg.

Installation artist José Luis Torres combines and repurposes unlikely items and creates something completely new out of nothing much. His recurring themes include shelter, mobility, and portability. The exhibit continues until May 3. For more info visit truck.ca.

Grab your camera and explore sites of displacement and rebuilding in the downtown core. Cat Schick, a photographer and TMC artist-mentor, will share technical and aesthetic tips while creating opportunity for dialogue about life in our city. Visit catswalk.wordpress.com for more info about Cat and her art practice.

TMC artist-mentors are professionals who volunteer their time to share their skills and love of art with the homeless and at-risk. Enjoy insightful visual artwork by mentors, clients, and special guest artists. Talent and diversity of expression meet social justice. Exhibit continues to April 19.

Take a look inside the process of creating a limited edition hand-printed book that honours images and words from many contributors. Stories and texts were collected from various sources including the homeless community. The images include relief prints made by youth at Inn from the Cold and photographs by Max, a Drop-In Centre evacuee. Printmaker and TMC artist-mentor Eveline Kolijn leads this project that captures the rawness and diversity of emotions evoked by the 2013 flood.

MoMo Dance Theatre is Calgary's foremost producer of mixed-ability dance. Now in their 11th season, they have developed works that became fan favourites at the High Performance Rodeo and the University of Calgary's Dance Montage. Fly With Us is based on themes of identity and self/group dynamics. Tickets available at momo.brownpapertickets.com. For more information visit momodancetheatre.org.

Join us for a fun and fast-paced series of presentations that reflect a diversity of responses to both art making and flood stories. Told against the backdrop of powerful images and followed by questions and discussion, Six Minute Stories will inform and provoke. Please check our website for speaker updates.

As the Festival draws to a close, we celebrate the spirit of creative expression that has enveloped us over the past two weeks. Like a patchwork quilt, this presentation stitches together colourful snippets that reflect patterns and textures of diverse lives. The evening features spoken word performances inspired by contributors from The Alex Youth Health Centre guided by poet and artist-mentor Kirk Miles. Favourite moments from the Festival will be reprised and a few surprises are in store!

This year, we are wrapping people and you can join in! At past TMC Festivals, artists wrapped benches and doorways with second hand afghans, observing that at times, people call these places home. Now, you can don an afghan to acknowledge those who experience homelessness. We’ll guide the assembled group in movement and document the visual statements we create together. Join us as a participant, an observer, or to take pictures of your own. Inspired by project-based artist Barbara Amos.